


Things that Go Bump in the Night

by Caora



Category: The Derp Crew (Youtube RPF)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-15
Updated: 2015-02-15
Packaged: 2018-03-13 01:37:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,657
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3362972
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Caora/pseuds/Caora
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“I’m fine, Anthony,” he reassured him, and then his smile faded as quickly as it came, his anxious expression returning. “It’s just… I keep hearing banging downstairs. I think there’s someone in your house.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	Things that Go Bump in the Night

**Author's Note:**

> I started writing this months ago but I finally got around to finishing it because I wanted to post something for Valentine’s Day, hence why Chilled still lives in New York. Sorry for that little inaccuracy, but it wouldn’t have made as much sense if I changed it. Anyway, I hope you enjoy regardless \o/

"Chilled."

"…"

”Chilled.”

"…"

”Anthony!"

His real name being called out accompanied by his shoulder being harshly shaken was what finally awoke Anthony from his slumber. He groaned in annoyance at the rude awakening, and was half tempted to pull his pillow over his head to block out Steven’s voice and go back to sleep, but he knew Steven wouldn’t wake him unless he had a good reason. His concern that something might be wrong won out against his desire for sleep, and he rolled onto his back to better face his boyfriend behind him.

Steven was sat up in the bed looking down on him, no longer tucked neatly in between Anthony’s back and his bedroom wall. He was lightly biting his lip and twiddling his fingers nervously, a worried expression on his face.

Panic fluttered in Anthony’s chest when he realised that something was definitely bothering him, and he frowned with worry. “Hey, what’s wrong? Are you okay?” he asked softly, reaching up to cup his face, his thumb lightly stroking his cheek.

Steven smiled in spite of himself, and gently removed Anthony’s hand from his face, giving it a small squeeze to thank him for the concern. “I’m fine, Anthony,” he reassured him, and then his smile faded as quickly as it came, his anxious expression returning. “It’s just… I keep hearing banging downstairs. I think there’s someone in your house.”

Before Anthony could question him further, he was cut off by a loud crash from downstairs in the living room. There wasn’t a single doubt in his mind now that Steven was telling him the truth, and that someone really had broken into his house, and his entire body tensed in fear. At this point, he was now wide awake, and stared up at Steven with wide panicked eyes, who looked down at him equally frightened.

"I’ve been hearing random bangs and crashes like that for the past ten minutes," he explained in a hushed voice. "I thought I was imagining things at first, but it kept happening so there’s definitely someone down there…" Anthony sat up, swearing under his breath, still gripping Steven’s hand tightly. "…What do we do?"

"I… I don’t know," Anthony admitted, running a hand through his hair.

"Well, we can’t just do nothing!" Steven exclaimed in a loud whisper. "I don’t want to just sit here and wait for whoever it is down there to finish what they’re doing!"

"Well then, what do you suppose we do?"

"I don’t know! Go down there and-"

"Go down there?! Are you crazy?!" he hissed. "Maybe investigating every rattle you hear in the middle of the night is a safe thing to do where you’re from, but this is New York, Steven, and there’s some crazy fucked up people in New York! We can’t go down there, it’s dangerous!"

Something else was knocked over downstairs, the sudden crash interrupting their heated discussion for a moment. “Look,” Steven began. “Whoever it is down there is obviously not very competent if they keep making this much noise. If we go down there, maybe they’ll be scared off and run away because they don’t want to be caught. We have to do something, we can’t just sit here and hope the problem fixes itself!”

"Yes we can and we will!" Anthony whispered harshly.

"What, so you’re just going to let them steal all your shit?"

"I’d rather have them steal all my shit that shoot me!"

"What makes you think they have a gun?"

"This is America, Steven, of COURSE they have guns!" he replied as another clatter was heard downstairs.

Steven rolled his eyes and pulled his hand out of Anthony’s grip. “I’m going to check it out,” he said, as he climbed over Anthony’s legs and out of the bed. “You can either come with me, or hide in here like a coward. Your choice.”

"Not wanting to risk getting shot does NOT make me a coward!” Anthony retorted as Steven picked up his clothes from the floor and began to pull them on. “It makes me smart and sensible, and you should come back to bed and be smart and sensible with me!”

Steven merely shot him a look at that remark before he pulled his t-shirt down over his head. “I’m still going downstairs to check it out, and if you’re not going to come with me, then I guess I’ll just have to check it out on my own,” he said, and reached for the baseball bat that Anthony kept by the door precisely for situations like this one.

From the way Steven grabbed the bat and played with it in his hands, Anthony could tell that he was out of his element. It was obvious that he hadn’t so much as touched a baseball bat since high school, assuming he’s ever swung one at all, and likely never learned how to swing one properly on top of that.

He couldn’t let him face the intruder with a weapon he didn’t know how to use effectively. He would definitely get hurt, and Anthony wasn’t about to stand by and let his boyfriend recklessly throw himself into danger like that. If something bad happened to Steven, especially in Anthony’s own home, he’d never be able to forgive himself.

Grumbling to himself, Anthony forced himself to climb out of bed. “Steven, wait,” he said, stopping him just before he could leave.

Steven halted in the doorway when asked, but quickly came back into the room and shut the door behind him when he noticed Anthony stand up. “You’re coming?” he asked hopefully, relieved that he might not have to face the intruder alone after all.

"Yeah, I’m coming," Anthony replied and picked up his own clothes from the floor and began to get dressed. "I can’t let you fight someone alone. You’re tiny. They’ll smush you."

"I am not tiny," Steven frowned. "I’m above average."

"Well, you’re tiny in comparison to me, and some other people, and maybe this guy too, and that makes you prime smushing material," Anthony explained as he pulled on a t-shirt. "But don’t worry Thumbalina, I’ll protect you~" he smirked, taking the baseball bat from him.

"Big words from the man who wanted to hide in bed," Steven shot back, reaching for his phone on the bed side table. The screen illuminated his face and part of the dark room behind him as he clicked it on, and Anthony couldn’t help grinning to himself when he noticed Steven squint and recoil from the light after temporarily blinding himself. Once his eyes had adjusted, he tapped the screen a few times and quickly opened the flashlight app, giving them a source of light for when they wander through the dark hallways.

"Ready?" Anthony asked, and reached for the doorknob. Steven nodded and stood slightly behind him, eyes darting nervously from the shut door to his boyfriend’s face. "Stay close to me, okay?" Anthony asked softly, and waited for Steven to nod again and shuffle closer to him before turning his attention back to the door.

He took a deep breath to calm his nerves and his rapidly beating heart, before reluctantly and slowly twisting the doorknob. Anthony didn’t want to do this. Facing the intruder was a terrible idea that could potentially lead to one or both of them getting hurt, but Steven was going to head downstairs regardless of what he said and he couldn’t let him do that alone.

Anthony slowly pushed the door open, carefully peering around it to see if anyone was around. He briefly wondered if the intruder had left, but another crash immediately rejected that theory. The sudden loud noise made him jump, and he felt Steven lightly grip his shoulder to calm him.

Taking another deep breath, he stepped into the dark hallway with Steven in tow, his hand still gripping onto Anthony’s shoulder, and the other held up his phone to light their way. As far as Anthony could tell, the intruder hadn’t ventured upstairs at all as the doors were still closed and the few items of furniture in the hallway were left untouched.

As they reached the top of the stairs, Anthony couldn’t help but wonder if it was too late to run back to his room. He was still half tempted to grab Steven and pull him back into bed, burying them under the covers and staying there until it all blew over. He knew Steven would be disappointed in him for chickening out, but at this point he was starting to think that risking an argument was better than risking their lives. He could live with Steven scolding him, but he wasn’t sure if he could live with him getting hurt - or worse.

But somehow, Anthony still found the courage to force himself onwards, reassured and encouraged by the slight shoulder squeeze Steven had given him. He slowly and quietly stepped down the stairs, his back to the wall and baseball bat gripped tightly in his hands. His gaze was fixed firmly on the living room door on the other side of the bannister, which was strangely still closed. He could hear some light rattles and tiny thumps on the other side of it, informing him that the intruder had likely never left the room since Steven had woken him up.

With a light thud, Anthony stepped foot onto the wooden floor, and carefully made his way to the door. The weight of what he was about to do finally set in, and a feeling of dread consumed him. On the other side of that door was the intruder, and he had no choice now but to face him.

It wasn’t until then that Anthony realised just how grossly unprepared he was. He didn’t have a plan. He had no idea what to do from here on out, beyond just kicking the door open and screaming at the top of his lungs in the vague hopes that the intruder would panic and run off. He had never been in a fight before, nevermind beat up someone that broke into his house. He had no idea what he was doing.

But it was too late to back out now. He had gotten this far, he had to see it through. That didn’t mean he couldn’t still protect Steven, though.

Anthony looked away from the door for a second, turning to face his boyfriend behind him. Steven eyed him with concern, curious as to why he suddenly stopped. “Hey…” Anthony began, leaning in close so he could whisper in his ear. “Promise me at the first sign of trouble, you’ll run, lock yourself in the bathroom, and call the police.”

Steven seemed taken aback. “And leave you to-“

"Promise me. Just promise me."

The intensity of his words and the look Anthony was giving him stopped Steven from arguing further, and he nodded in agreement, quietly breathing out an almost silent “yeah”.

They stared into each other’s eyes for a moment, each wanting to say something but struggled to find the words. Anthony wanted to tell Steven he loved him, but didn’t want to sound like he was trying to say ‘goodbye’. Instead, he channeled all his words and feelings into actions, and slipped a hand behind his neck and leaned in.

The kiss was more passionate than he originally intended, every little movement fueled by the worry that this could be the last kiss he ever gives him. He had to force himself away from Steven’s lips, and they had barely parted for a second before he dived back in for another quick peck.

When he finally pulled away, Anthony lightly pushed Steven to force him to take a step back, before turning back to the door, not daring to look at his boyfriend’s expression. Anthony swallowed hard as he steeled himself in preparation for what was to come, his left hand tightening his grip on the baseball bat as his right hand found the door knob. He took one last deep breath to calm himself, before hastily opening the door and barging into the room.

Anthony stopped dead in his tracks. Nothing could have prepared him for the sight in front of him.

Lamps were knocked over, the light bulbs now shattered on the ground. Various video games, DVDs, and Blu-Rays had fallen off their shelves and were now scattered across the floor. The front window was open causing the blue curtains to billow in the wind, and the picture frames were crooked, one knocked off the wall completely. But the strangest sight of all was the couch cushions pulled off the couch and ripped to shreds, and the surprised Pomeranian staring up at him amidst the cotton and torn fabric.

The dog dropped the pillow she was chewing on when she spotted Anthony, and started panting excitedly, her tail joyously wagging behind her. She bounded up to Anthony immediately, seeing no reason not to trust the neighbour that would occasionally stop to pet her, and jumped up on him, looking for more head scratches.

Anthony was stunned. He absentmindedly scratched behind her ears as he took everything in, the cogs in his mind whirring as he tried to process what happened. It was his neighbour’s Pomeranian that was making all the noise, not a burglar or a serial killer. The dog must have gotten out of his neighbour’s backyard somehow and hopped through the open window, and started to trash his living room to get his attention.

Neither he nor Steven were in any danger whatsoever. It was just the neighbour’s dog making a racket the whole time.

Curious as to what was going on, Steven hesitantly poked his head around the door frame, nervously peering into the room. His eyes were immediately drawn to the small dog, then to his boyfriend’s puzzled expression, before finally scanning the rest of the room. A wide grin broke out on his face when it clicked what had happened, and he laughed. “You were scared of a puppy!” he giggled.

Anthony’s cheeks flushed in embarrassment, and his face scrunched up into a scowl. “Shut up!” he said defensively, but there was no venom behind his words. He was much too relieved that they were both safe to be genuinely angry at him. “You were scared too!”

"Yeah, but I’m not the one who started a deep and meaningful goodbye kiss!" he teased.

"Steven!"

"That was literally the best kiss we’ve ever had and it was because you were scared of a puppy! A harmless, fluffy puppy!"

"Steven! Shut up!" Anthony said, but was now laughing along with him. Steven was right; the entire situation was ridiculous. They were both so worried over nothing, and there was a moment back there where he was genuinely afraid he would die, when he had no reason to be. It was laughable.

Tossing the baseball bat to the side as it was no longer needed, Anthony grabbed the dog by the collar and gently led her to the bathroom. He let go of her for a moment to move all the towels and other objects out of her reach, before leaving the room and shutting the door, effectively locking her in for the night. He’d return the dog to her rightful owner in the morning.

Steven was waiting for him outside the bathroom, still grinning like a mad man, but now seemed to be a lot more tired than he was moments before. Now that he was no longer fueled by adrenaline, Anthony realised just how tired he was also and let out a yawn as he slung an arm around Steven’s shoulders. “Let’s go back to bed,” he suggested and began to lead them towards the stairs.

"Yeah, as long as you’re comfortable sleeping in the same house as that dog," Steven teased him further.

"Fuck off, Ze."

"Love you too, Chilled."


End file.
